Thistledown: Lady Cherie, ooh la la

NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - Lady Cherie circled rivals quickly on the second turn and went on to a one-length victory over five Ohio-bred rivals in the $75,000, nine-furlong Rose DeBartolo Memorial for fillies and mares, giving trainer Michael Nance a sweep of the Ohio stakes on Saturday. The Nance-trained Lane Lorrain had won the Cincinnatian stakes at River Downs a half-hour earlier.

Lady Cherie checked a bit under Julio Felix going into the first turn. She then saved ground until the middle of the second turn when Felix angled her widest of all. She was timed in 1:52.70 over the fast racing strip.

Ms. Quimet finished second, 6 3/4 lengths clear of Prizes. Lady Cherie returned $5.60 as the favorite.